Michael Charles Schena, a 42-year-old resident of Alexandria, Virginia, has been arrested on charges related to an alleged conspiracy involving national defense information. Schena, who is employed by the U.S. Department of State and holds a Top Secret security clearance, is accused of transmitting sensitive information to unauthorized individuals in exchange for payments.
Court documents reveal that Schena began communicating with contacts he met online around April 2022 through various platforms. On February 27, he allegedly used his cellphone to capture images of documents marked "SECRET" from his classified computer monitor at work. The cellphone was later seized at his home in Alexandria.
Schena faces charges of conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering relevant guidelines and statutory factors.
The FBI Washington Field Office led the investigation with support from the FBI Richmond Field Office, the Department of Justice’s Office of Enforcement Operations, and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Office of Counterintelligence.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Ben’Ary and Gavin R. Tisdale from the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case alongside Trial Attorney Maria Fedor from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Information about this case can be found on the websites of both the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia under Case No. 1:25-mj-143.
It is important to note that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation; Schena is presumed innocent until proven guilty.